美国国家公共电台 NPR--She voted to impeach Trump. Now Rep. Herrera Beutler tries to navigate a tough primary

She voted to impeach¹ Trump². Now Rep. Herrera Beutler tries to navigate³ a tough primary

Transcript⁴

Eight days before a tough primary, U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler found herself standing⁵ on top of a wastewater treatment plant in Washougal, a small town in her district in southwest Washington state.

Her opponents had spent the weekend staging town halls and glad-handing, but the congresswoman said she's focused on her job. That focus brought her to the plant, where Washougal staff thanked her for securing $1 million in federal funds to buy and install something called an anoxic selector.

"That's how you say it?" she said with a laugh. "I'm not going to lie, I can read it. I'm like, 'Let's support that. It looks important.' "

Herrera Beutler was one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in the wake of the Capitol insurrection. And she is one of three who are on the ballot⁶ Tuesday — in Washington state and in Michigan — aiming to fend⁷ off primary opponents.

In Washington, to the east of Herrera Beutler's 3rd Congressional District, Rep. Dan Newhouse in the 4th District faces a Trump-backed challenger. As does Rep. Peter Meijer in Michigan.

In her race, Herrera Beutler — who stands by her impeachment⁸ vote but has not made it a focus of her reelection bid — faces multiple well-funded challengers from her own party, presenting for the first time the real possibility she may not make it past the primary.

Those challengers include Trump-endorsed⁹ former Green Beret Joe Kent and Christian¹⁰ podcaster and homeschool advocate Heidi St. John, who cater¹¹ to the district's most conservative voters.

The six-term congresswoman, who was first elected in 2010, acknowledged that being flanked from the right is an entirely¹² new experience.

"I've never been in this position, in this way," she told NPR. "I have no metrics — no experience to say, 'This is how everything is going to work. And this is how I should be running this race.' "

So, she said, she's taking a business-as-usual approach.

"This isn't going to make a lot of social media feeds," she said of her wastewater treatment plant tour. "Whereas I've always felt like if you do the work of the hometown congressperson, elections take care of themselves. And that has proven true now several times."

"Jungle primary"

That may be true of how and when she makes public appearances, but the congresswoman is also deploying¹³ a different tactic¹⁴: appealing to moderates, independents and even Democrats¹⁶.

It's a strategy made possible by Washington state's top-two primary system. The so-called "jungle primary" puts all candidates on one ballot and advances the top two vote-getters to the general election, regardless of party. Because voters aren't required to declare a party affiliation¹⁷, they can more easily cross the aisle¹⁸ if they choose.

That is seen as likely to benefit Herrera Beutler, who will no longer have the district's dedicated¹⁹ conservatives behind her. While Washington's 3rd District overlaps²⁰ with the Portland metro²¹ area, its rural voters have regularly sailed her to reelection.

Her campaign ads are rife²² with rhetoric²³ of unity²⁴, and mailers bill her as an "independent" candidate.

"Yes, I'm a Republican," Herrera Beutler said in the interview. "But I'm also very independent in my approach. And that's what people want to see here. So I'm betting that's going to continue to be the thing that's most important to voters."

It works in her favor that Democrats — who waged tough challenges in the last two cycles — have largely no-showed this year. One Democratic candidate, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, joined the race late and has raised far less money than the Republican challengers.

Feuding²⁵ conservatives

It also helps Herrera Beutler that Kent and St. John aren't just attacking her, but each other, too.

Thanks to a spending spree by outside groups, mailers and television ads supporting St. John have poured into the district decrying²⁶ Kent as a secret Democrat¹⁵ and a "Bernie Bro." (Kent acknowledges that he voted for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Oregon's 2020 presidential primary when he lived there, but he says his aim was to give Trump a weaker opponent.)

Kent frequently vents²⁷ that St. John is splitting the district's conservative voting bloc²⁸ and indirectly²⁹ supporting Herrera Beutler.

"I would not do the establishment ... the favor of being the person who is being manipulated to snuff out the voice of the people," Kent told a crowd of about 30 outside Vancouver, Wash., last month.

Federal campaign filings show Kent has been heavily targeted by outside spending. The Women for Winning Action Fund, which has spent $518,000 on Herrera Beutler's behalf, has also spent $1.7 million against Kent. And a newly created and largely anonymous³⁰ super PAC called Conservatives for a Stronger America has poured in money on St. John's behalf and spent $520,000 against Kent.

After the town hall, Kent expressed frustration³¹ about the spending. He described it as "death by a thousand cuts."

Bad blood between St. John and Kent dates back to March 2021, when they both vowed³² at a public forum³³ to withdraw and support whomever received Trump's endorsement³⁴ to unseat Herrera Beutler. The former president endorsed Kent six months later, but St. John remained in the race.

St. John has maintained that she made that agreement before learning more about Kent. She derides³⁵ him as "Portland Joe," as Kent, a Portland native, was a registered Democrat in Oregon until he moved to the 3rd District.

Voters split

The rift³⁶ is creating a tough choice for the district's more conservative voters.

Melinda Lucas, a 72-year-old Ridgefield resident, said St. John initially³⁷ intrigued³⁸ her, but she gravitated to Kent's policies. Kent supports strict borders, ending foreign wars and an audit³⁹ of the 2020 election, which he falsely claims was stolen from Trump.

"Election fraud was a big one," Lucas said. "And I will say, my husband said, 'He's a Green Beret. I trust him.' "

Still, other Republicans worry about Kent's ties to extremism. He was a keynote speaker at the so-called "Justice for J6" rally in Washington, D.C., last September, where he called for clemency⁴⁰ for people facing criminal charges for the riot.

In March, Kent had to distance himself from white nationalist Nick Fuentes after he publicly claimed Kent's campaign sought to work with him. Kent confirmed he had a phone call with Fuentes, but declined knowing anything about Fuentes and said the relationship never advanced.

Kent's chief consultant⁴¹, Matt Braynard, told Oregon Public Broadcasting in March that he set up a booth at Fuentes' "America First" convention. Braynard said attendees "didn't seem too interested in us."

And last week, the Associated Press reported that Kent's campaign paid more than $11,000 to a person identified by law enforcement as a member of the far-right Proud Boys. The Kent campaign told a reporter that the man had no "current affiliation" with "outside organizations," the Associated Press reported.

Mark Jager, a 64-year-old Vancouver resident, described St. John and Kent both as "fringe" Republicans but nonetheless said he considered them valid⁴² candidates.

"It's a part of the party that I don't identify with but they have absolutely the right to have their views and to be running in this race," Jager said.

Jager said he would support Herrera Beutler in the primary. But Jager said that if Herrera Beutler fell short in the primary, he'd face a tough choice in November.

Jager said he might even consider voting for the Democrat Perez.

"I will look at all candidates, you know, including the Democrat, and vote my conscience on that issue," he said. "I will factor in all candidates in my decision, and may move to the other side of the aisle if I feel so moved."

1 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

4 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

8 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

9 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

14 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

15 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

18 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

19 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

20 overlaps   

v.部分重叠( overlap的第三人称单数 )；（物体）部份重叠；交叠；（时间上）部份重叠

参考例句：

• The style in these two books largely overlaps. 这两本书的文体有许多处是一致的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The new office overlaps the functions of the one already in existence. 新机构的职能与那个现存机构的职能部分重叠。 来自辞典例句

21 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

22 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

23 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

24 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

25 feuding   

vi.长期不和（feud的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Riccardo and Cafiero had been feuding so openly that the whole town knew about it. 里卡多和卡菲埃罗一直公开地闹别扭，全城的人都知道此事。 来自辞典例句
• The two families have been feuding with each other for many generations. 这两个家族有好多代的世仇了。 来自互联网

26 decrying   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Soon Chinese Internet users, including government agencies, were decrying the' poisonous panda. 不久，中国网民以及政府机构纷纷谴责“影响极坏的熊猫烧香”。 来自互联网
• Democratic leaders are decrying President Bush's plan to indefinitely halt troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. 民主党领导公开谴责布什总统七月后无限停止从伊拉克撤兵的举动。 来自互联网

27 vents   

（气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩

参考例句：

• He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。
• The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。

28 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

29 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

30 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

31 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

32 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

33 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

34 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

35 derides   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That newspaper columnist derides the mayor whenever he can. 那位报纸专栏作家从不放过取笑市长的机会。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Bayrou derides his rivals for proposing to spend France's problems away. Bayrou先生嘲笑他的竞争者意图将法国的问题撇开。 来自互联网

36 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

37 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

38 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

39 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

40 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

41 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

42 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？